Lot 208
208
NICOLAS GHIKA (1906-1994)
NICOLAS GHIKA (1906-1994)
NICOLAS GHIKA (1906-1994)
NICOLAS GHIKA (1906-1994)
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NICOLAS GHIKA (1906-1994)

Greek Landscape

Details
NICOLAS GHIKA (1906-1994)
Greek Landscape
signed and dated 'GHIKA/63' (lower right)
oil on canvas
16 ¼ x 10 ¾ in. (41.3 x 27.3 cm.)
Painted in 1963.
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist by Sir Stephen Spender (1909-1995).
A gift from Sir Stephen and Lady Spender to the late Barry Humphries.

Brought to you by

Benedict Winter
Benedict Winter Associate Director, Specialist

Lot Essay


Nicolas Ghika first met John Craxton at the end of the Second World War and, for long periods in the 1950s, Craxton lived in Ghika’s ancestral home on the island of Hydra. Their close friendship went on to shape each other’s work for the rest of their lives. The influence of Ghika on Craxton is evident in both artists’ landscape treatment of scenes in Greece.

The present work is a striking example of Ghika’s lyrical depictions of the Greek landscape. Focusing on the harmony and purity of Greek art, he sought to distil its special atmosphere and intense natural light into panoramic pictures deeply influenced by Byzantine mosaics.

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